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LESSONS LEARNED FROM SITING OF BOSTON HARBOR SEWAGE OUTFALL - CHAPTER 3
Citation:
Paul, J. AND E. Dettman. LESSONS LEARNED FROM SITING OF BOSTON HARBOR SEWAGE OUTFALL - CHAPTER 3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/A-94/083 (NTIS PB94169851).
Description:
Control of the discharge of wastewater into coastal waters of the United States is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under legislative mandates of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) Amendments of 1972 (P.L. 92-532) and the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1977 (P.L 95-217). olumetrically, the largest discharges into coastal waters have been municipal wastewater from publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). WPCA mandated uniform national effluent limitations based upon secondary treatment [section 301(b)(1)(B)], defined in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids, and hydrogen ion activity (pH) (40 CFR Part 133). ongress, incorporating section 301(h) in CWA, provided for a variance in the secondarytreatment requirements for POTW discharges into certain ocean orestuarine water if the POTW adequately demonstrated that the discharge would not impair the integrity of the receiving waters and biota. PA issued regulations implementing section 301(h) on 15 June 1979. hortly thereafter, these regulations were challenged in court, with certain provisions subsequently struck down. ection 301(h) was amended by Congress in 1981 (P.L. 97-11) following the court decision, stipulating seven statutory requirements for issuance of a 301(h) variance. he amended section covered discharges into deep waters of the territorial sea, into waters of the contiguous zone, and into saline estuarine waters when there are strong tidal movement and other hydrological and geological characteristics which would allow compliance with CWA. riteria for implementation of the revised 301(h) program were specified by regulations contained in 40 CFR Part 125, Subpart G (47 Federal Register 53666, 26 November 1982).